dbcve.org
IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2023-21587

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-01-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 17.4 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Adobe InDesign version 18.0 (and earlier), 17.4 (and earlier) are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Adobe InDesign versions 18.0 and earlier, as well as 17.4 and earlier, contain a heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability. When a user opens a specially crafted malicious file, this memory corruption vulnerability can be triggered to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the current user's privileges.

MitigationUsers should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InDesign files and should update to the latest patched version of Adobe InDesign once released by the vendor.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IndesignApplication
Affected:>= 17.0, <= 17.4= 18.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Adobe InDesign is installed
    On Windows, check Program Files/Adobe folder for InDesign folder, or use Control Panel > Programs and Features to list installed applications. On macOS, check /Applications for Adobe InDesign.app
    Affected if Adobe InDesign is present on the system
  2. Retrieve the installed InDesign version number
    On Windows, right-click the InDesign executable in Program Files, select Properties, and view the Details tab for Product Version. On macOS, right-click Adobe InDesign.app in Applications, select Get Info, and view the Version field. Alternatively, launch InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign
    Affected if The version displayed is 17.0 through 17.4 inclusive, or exactly 18.0
  3. Compare version against affected ranges
    Parse the retrieved version number and compare: if it starts with 17.0, 17.1, 17.2, 17.3, or 17.4, it is affected. If it shows as 18.0 exactly, it is also affected. Versions before 17.0 or after 18.0 are not in the affected range
    Affected if Version falls within 17.0-17.4 or equals 18.0 exactly
  4. Assess file opening exposure
    Determine whether the user or other users on the system have opened untrusted or unexpected InDesign files (.indd, .idml, .inx) from unknown sources. Check recent file access logs or interview users about recent file openings
    Affected if Untrusted or specially crafted InDesign files have been opened on the system

The system is affected if Adobe InDesign versions 17.0 through 17.4 or version 18.0 are installed and any untrusted InDesign files have been opened.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 17.4
Interim mitigation

Users should avoid opening untrusted or unexpected InDesign files and should update to the latest patched version of Adobe InDesign once released by the vendor.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 18.1 or later

  1. 1. Close Adobe InDesign if it is currently running
  2. 2. Back up any important InDesign files and presets as a precaution
  3. 3. Open Adobe Creative Cloud desktop application or navigate to the Adobe InDesign download page at helpx.adobe.com
  4. 4. Check for available updates to Adobe InDesign
  5. 5. Download and install InDesign version 18.1 or later (the first fixed release)
  6. 6. Restart your computer after installation completes
  7. 7. Verify the installed version by opening InDesign and checking Help > About InDesign

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
4.0 hours of engineering $750
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,200.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21587 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-21587 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data